What Will Happen to the Iran Deal?

The United States and Iran have maintained a shaky relationship, at best, for decades.

Just four days before this year’s presidential election, on November 4th, the Iranian hostage crisis’ achieved its 37th anniversary. On November 4, 1979, young Iranian Islamists breached the walls of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, seizing more than 60 Americans hostages. The hostages weren’t released until 444 days later — nearly to the moment Ronald Reagan was sworn in on January 20, 1981.

Answers to the questions of whether the Carter presidency intensified the Middle Eastern situation, or whether Reagan’s entry into office was related to the release of the hostages — well, that depends on the historian you ask.

Many popular conservatives, such as Marco Rubio, credit Reagan for ending the Iranian hostage crisis.

Secretary Kerry, Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif Sit Down for the Second Day of Nuclear Meetings

Many in Congress adamantly opposed the deal because of Iran’s status as a known statesponsor of terrorism. The United Against Nuclear Iran, a non-partisan organization, whose members include former Senator Joe Lieberman, Senator Lindsey Graham, and the Democrats’ new Minority Leader Senator Chuck Schumer, vocally opposed the deal back in 2015.

Others argue that not even the Iranians have supported the deal.

Directly after the agreement was finalized, Iran fired two ballistic missiles with “Israel must be wiped out” written on them, while Vice President Joe Biden was visiting Israel.

President-elect Trump, during his campaign, said that he intends to have a more forceful attitude toward foreign affairs. He has even threatened to rip up the Iran deal, though increasingly more national security professionals and experts have advised against that outcome.

Will the Iran deal survive or will Trump’s deal-making expertise and forceful position on national security triumph?

About The Author

Nathan is a Jewish American-Iranian who studied in Israel for three years following high school. He graduated from Touro College’s Lander College with a Bachelors of Arts in Psychology. Afterwards, he was a research assistant with Stanford University’s Psychophysiology Lab and the University of Maryland. He hopes to pursue psychology in graduate school.